Rust Free (GaLe Oneshot)
by Emojimojo
Summary: Gajeel Redox, known as the Iron Slayer Delinquent by many, is closed to himself. He doesn't trust anyone and is slowly letting rust cover his heart. That is, until one fated meeting during a cold winter night, made him slowly become 'rust free'. [A Gale Oneshot]


**Rust Free**

 _By: Emojimojo_

 **Hey y'all! Here is a short GaLe oneshot. I know I said I'd only do Nalu but I wanted to try doing the other ships. Hope you enjoy this one!**

"Dang it," he cursed under his breath as he kicked a random piece of rock out of the way. Outside, snow barely began falling and covering the streets in white. It was winter in Magnolia and it was well in the evening. Nobody was outside. But, who would be when it was below freezing?

He tucked his face further into his scarf and released some warm air from his mouth. "Dang it," he repeated as he continued to stalk up the hill. "This is stupid."

He then turned around and looked at the town below him and clucked his tongue. "Whatever. Remind me _never_ to get my hopes up high again," he told himself as continued walking up to his house.

He pulled out a small silver key and placed it into his lock. He twisted it and allowed himself inside. He locked the door behind and looked in the dark room.

No one was ever around to welcome him. But whatever. What did he care? He was abandoned by his dad when he was little. And who would want to take in a troublemaker? But can you blame him? Without a dad, how was he supposed to know how to act? Heck, people even steered clear of him because of his look.

He had long, black, shaggy hair, piercings on his nose, eyebrows, and ears, and he always wore dark black clothing. Some called him Iron Slayer Delinquent just because he was cold hearted and tough like iron and always 'slayed' those who got in his way.

He looked around his dark room and decided to flip the switch on. He had to get ready for bed anyway. Today was one heck of a day for him and the sooner he could get into tomorrow, the better.

He walked to his bed and closed the light. He placed his head down and stared at his ceiling. Why couldn't he get his mind off of it? There was no point in thinking about it anymore. What's done is done. He learned his lesson. He tried something new for a change and it got shoved back in his face. So what was the point of dwelling on it?

After hours passed of him tossing and turning, he decided to get out. Why bother trying to force sleep to come when it wouldn't? So he pulled on a black parka with snow boots and a muffler and decided to head out. No one would be out anyway and he needed some cool air.

He stared at the snow covered ground as he walked down the hill. He was planning on stopping by his favorite tree where he could see everything but stay out of sight.

All the while, he was thinking, _There's no way I can let that happen again. If people say I have a rusted heart, then let them say whatever the heck they wanna say. I won't ever try to open up again. It's best to be the way I am now. No one and nothing will change that._

He continued on his trek to the tree and was going to come out in the open when he saw a lone figure standing right in his spot, gazing up at the stars with a book in hand. He froze and stared. Who the heck would be out here in the middle of the night during the winter? Well, besides him?

He observed the figure, and the way the wind played with the person's hair, he could tell it was a girl. Her hair was a soft shade of blue and curled just above her shoulders. She wore a dark green parka with brown leggings, from what he could tell, and she had on, what looked like an orange bandana.

She was often times gazing from the sky to the book in her hand and back at the sky. Occasionally, he saw her picking a pen from behind her ear and writing something down.

He continued to watch her with mild curiosity. Finally, he couldn't stand it and stomped in her direction. He let loose a low growl and practically shoved her forward. She let out a squeal and dropped her book while whipping around to face him.

Her light brown eyes were wide in fright and shock and her face was pale in the moonlight. Some of her blue strands of hair got caught in her mouth and she was quaking in her boots.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as she fell backwards from shock. He looked at her with a bewildered look on his face.

Why wasn't she running away? Why was she just sitting there, in the snow, watching him with awe?

"Well what are _you_ looking at… Shrimp?" he demanded in his deep voice as he eyed the girl. She was certainly small, like a shrimp.

The girl blinked twice before springing on her feet and jabbing her finger in his chest. "How rude! When you meet someone for the first time, the polite thing to do is either introduce yourself first or ask for the person's name," she huffed as she crossed her hands over her small chest and glared up at him.

He blinked out of shock and sudden surprise. How was he going to answer that? "U-um…well then…what's…your name?" he tried asking. She sighed and shook her head.

"My name is Levy McGarden. And you?" she decided to answer.

"Gajeel. Gajeel Redfox," Gajeel replied with a lost look on his face.

"A pleasure to meet you Mr. Gajeel Redfox," the girl Levy commented as she gave a quick curtsy. "Now, if you excuse me, I should probably go back home. I look forward to seeing you again," she finished as she picked up her book and pen and gave him such a warm and sweet smile that made him feel all warm and tingly inside.

What the heck was this? What magic was this little shrimp known as Levy McGarden doing? Didn't she even know who he was?

He watched her go down the hill while occasionally throwing a look over her shoulder at him. He kept his hands in his pockets but he couldn't help but wonder about this girl. Something about her made him drawn towards her.

Gajeel suddenly realized this and cursed himself. "No. Shaddup stupid feelings. She'll be just like the rest," he murmured as he watched her distant figure. However, no matter how much he told himself that, he couldn't help but feel that maybe, _just_ maybe, she was actually different from the rest.

He sighed and watched his breath materialize in front of him. "Well, better get back home now as well," he added as he walked back to his home. He glanced one last time over his shoulder but that girl was gone. Would he ever see her again? For some reason, he really hoped so.

It has been several weeks since his encounter with the strange yet captivating blue-haired girl. He scarcely thought of her now and continued to let his heart rust over. The more days went by, the colder he became.

Now it was spring time and the way the day was shaping up, he knew something was going to happen today. Blue skies, sun shining warmly, a soft breeze flying by, and cherry blossom leaves falling around, this day was meant for something. But what, he could not say for he did not know.

He realized he was low on supplies so he grabbed his wallet and walked out of his home and down the hill. He kept a glare and scowl on his face and everyone made way for him out of fear, not respect.

That only put him in a foul mood even more. Soon he was stomping through town, unaware of who was in his way or where he was headed. The next thing he knew, he collided into someone. But only the person in front of him was affected.

He looked down and his eyes widened slightly. It was the blue-haired girl who was on the floor again much like their first encounter, only this time, he caused her to fall by accident.

She wore blue tights with an orange top that reached her thighs. There was a white bow tied in the middle of her chest area and her blue hair was up in a ponytail. On her nose, sat perched small glasses and sprawled by her were tons of books. Her eyes were closed and she was rubbing her behind all the while muttering apologizes.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and glanced up at him. Her mouth formed an 'o' shape and she gave him a bright smile. "Gajeel! Long time no see!" she exclaimed as she jumped back up and smiled up at him.

He felt his heart rate quicken and he scowled. It may have seemed like it was towards her, but it was more towards himself for being easily affected this way when he was the Iron Slayer Delinquent.

"Whatever," he mumbled as he walked passed her.

"H-hey wait!" Levy stammered as she collected her books and ran after him with her short legs. "Gajeel, wait please," she panted as she tried to keep up with him.

"No, leave me alone," he growled. He was getting loads of attention because of this shrimp.

"No. It's my first time seeing you since that one night in winter. You look much different than what I pictured you that night," she commented as she settled for a trot by his side. He gave her a quick side glance and had to suppress the urge to smile at how ridiculous she looked with her glasses falling off her nose.

"I couldn't care less Shrimp," he told her instead as he sped up his pace.

"My name's…not…Shrimp," she huffed as she struggled to keep up to him. "And where are you going anyway? What are you so in a hurry to do? And why do you have a scowl on your face?" she questioned.

Gajeel felt tickmarks appear on his head but he tried to calm down. This girl was just curious and that much he understood. But if she was blind or oblivious to the fact that he didn't want to talk, then that was another matter that had to be dealt with.

"Listen, Shorty. I don't have time for your questions. I have errands to run and important _things_ to do. Unlike _some_ people, I don't have free time to run my mouth off," he snapped as he glared at her.

Levy froze in spot and stared at him with a hurt expression on her face. He suddenly began feeling guilty and was going to apologize when she took a book and threw it at his face hard.

"You idiot!" she shouted as tears brimmed in her eyes. Then she took off running, dropping several books on her route to wherever she was going. Gajeel blinked, completely caught off guard yet again. He couldn't believe she hit him… in the face… with a freakin' book.

Murmurs began to sound around him and he looked to the sides, watching people whispering to each other while giving him dirty glares. Perspiration began beading his face as the whispers got louder.

Then he ducked his head and clenched his fists together. He was going to end that Shrimp for making him the center of attention.

Unable to take it anymore, Gajeel began uttering curses while picking up the books and going off in the direction Levy ran off too.

"When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna freakin' end you…," he began when he paused at the base of the hill. Only one book remained on the floor while he carried dozens of other ones. Did she seriously drop all her books?

He groaned and picked up the last one, then began climbing the hill. Might as well dump the books next to the tree where he first met her. That's where she might be anyway.

He was almost there when he saw her. She was standing near the edge with her hands clasped behind her back. Her hair was swishing with the wind. Then she slowly turned to face him when he made his presence known.

"I knew you'd come here," she whispered with a small smile dancing on her lips.

"You knew I'd be here?" he asked with a frown as he dropped the books in the grass.

"Hey!" she wailed as she ran to the books and fell on her knees. She began piling them up on each other alphabetically from what Gajeel could tell. "Watch out with these. They're precious," she mumbled as she finished and gazed up at him.

His heart skipped a beat and he felt color climbing up his cheeks so he turned his back to her. "Like I care," he grumbled.

"You know Gajeel. Everyone says that you are the Iron Slayer Delinquent. Is that true?" she asked as she stood up.

He didn't face her but instead, clenched his jaw. Well, this is where it goes downhill for him. He knew whatever this was between them, would end up the same as the rest. But for some reason, he cared.

"Is that true?" she asked again as she walked in front of him and stared up at his face.

He averted his gaze and he heard her groan. "Look, I just asked one simple question. Is it that hard to answer? Because I couldn't care less if you were. I know you're not really who you act to be," she proceeded to say.

He scoffed and finally looked at her but he gave the most menacing look he could muster. And it worked because she slowly took a step back.

"And how can you be so sure?" he demanded as he took a threatening step forward, causing her to take another step back, closer to the tree.

"B-because," she stammered as she looked behind her. She was practically pressed against the tree.

"Because? Because why? Is it that hard to answer?" he mimicked as he placed his elbow on the tree and looked down at her.

She was blushing red and staring at her feet. "Because…because…," she began when she sighed and looked him square in the eyes. "Because even though I may not seem like it, I can tell what people are going through by observing them. By only meeting you twice, I know that you have let your heart rust even more from our first encounter. I also know that you are still hesitating in letting that rust completely cover your heart. You still hold onto the hope that someone will make you rust free," she finally answered with a determined spark in her eyes.

Gajeel was left speechless. Was that honestly what he hoped to hear? Was this what he was waiting for? Because as soon as those words left her mouth, it felt like something was cleaning the rust off his heart. He truly felt like he was becoming rust free. Even though she didn't really say much, she put exactly what he was feeling into those words.

He looked down in her orbs and he gave a lopsided smile. "You know, you have a way with words," he whispered as he leaned down and practically bumped his nose with hers.

"W-well what do you expect? I'm known as the Solid Script Mage," she answered as she gazed downwards with a deep blush on her face.

Gajeel gave a soft chuckle and shook his head while closing his eyes. "Levy's your name right?" he asked. She nodded. "Thanks," he continued as he pulled back.

She whipped her head up and stared at him with wide eyes. "F-for what?" she stammered.

He smiled down at her. "For making me rust free," he answered as he stalked back towards her and patted her head. "Especially on our second encounter," he added with a wink.

She blushed beet red again and began punching him in the chest with him laughing his head off. "You idiot! Idiot Gajeel!" she screamed with her face completely red.

It was then that Gajeel knew; this girl, who made him rust free, was one special and different girl who he wouldn't mind having along and opening up to. _Seriously… thanks Shrimp,_ he thought as he smiled down at the blushing but grinning girl.

 **Well, this is it! Please let me know what you thought of it by giving me reviews! I'd greatly appreciate them! I hope you enjoyed it though! Thanks for reading and see you next update! Have a great day/evening/night!**

 **-Emojimojo**


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